Pieces of My Heart
by HelenaX
Summary: Severus Snape rescues a mysterious girl on Dumbledore's orders, but who is she? What is the extraordinary power she possesses? And how will their relationship survive the impending war? SS/OC
1. The girl

Avrille lay face down on the ground, praying for oblivion. The cries of the men hunting her echoed around the forest, but she had no strength to run from them any more. The ragged remains of her clothes rested on her skinny shoulder, tears in the fabric revealing old scars and open wounds that were unbelievable in number for a girl so young. She crawled behind a small bush as the sounds of the hunters slowly became further away. Avrille did not move, just lay in the dirt. She had lost everything today; everything she had ever cared about was gone, and here she was, left alone, beaten and starving. She did not want to think about the terrible things she had done that day. As she drifted in and out of an uneasy unconsciousness, she heard faint footsteps in the dry grass advancing towards her. But she did not care if they found her now. At least it would be the end.

As Severus slowly and silently made his way through the forest under the protection of the invisibility cloak, wand drawn and occlumency at the ready, he wondered about the girl that he had been sent to find. He knew that she was being kept in some kind of village in this forest, but that today there had been some kind of disturbance and now he did not know where to look. It was quite by chance that he saw a sparkling of dark hair on the ground next to his foot, and as his eyes moved from her hair to the lifeless face and the defeated body, he knew he must have found her.

Avrille sensed the man close to her. At first she thought he had not seen her, before realising that he had merely stopped and was staring. She sensed that he was not one of the men seeking to kill her, but a man with an entirely different, unknown purpose. She shook the weariness from her body and cleared her head, before jumping upright in one fluid motion that caused her seeker to almost stumble back in shock. She confronted him, hands at the ready, and Severus realised she did not have a wand. He wondered why she had her hands out as if she was going to cast a wandless spell, when he was suddenly hit hard in the chest by a spell he had never felt before. He lay on the ground in shock, wondering what the hell was going on. He was still wearing his invisibility cloak.

Avrille summoned the cloak to her, revealing her adversary. He stumbled to his feet and drew his wand, but immediately found it flying through the air to her outstretched hand. Incredible, Severus thought bitterly, that this girl who can do these spells seemingly without a wand has been hidden from the wizarding world for so long.  
Avrille looked up at the stranger, who was glowering at her and brushing dirt from his black robes.

'What do you want with me?' she demanded, he green eyes flashing with anger.

'There's no need to be rude,' Severus spoke in a quiet, low voice. He was completely consumed by the fire in her eyes and the confidence in which she held herself.

He cleared his head, and spoke again in an agitated tone, 'I had come to take you away from this place. Though I clearly did not realise that you had escaped already.'

'Then you have no business with me anymore, seeing as though I have already escaped.' Avrille spat back at him.

'And what a fine job you seem to have done of it,' Severus retorted, indicating her tattered clothing stained with blood and dirt. Avrille raised her eyebrow, unimpressed, and Severus immediately doubled over in pain, a blinding pain which had come out of nowhere but felt like every corner of his mind had been filled with an excruciating pain. He did not yell out, and it lasted only a second before Avrille receded her mind from his.

As he breathed deeply, trying to regain his composure, Severus thought he was starting to understand what Dumbledore had been talking about all those weeks ago during their last meeting.

Avrille threw Severus' wand down at his feet and turned to stalk off. Obviously this stranger did not want to kill her, but she did not trust him and wanted to get away from him She did not know how much longer she could keep up this confident façade; her wounds were paining her greatly and she thought she might pass out if she didn't eat or sit down soon. Severus, bending down to scoop up his discarded wand, took a few quick steps and was next to her again.

He decided to be straight with her. 'Professor Dumbledore sent me to find you and bring you back to Hogwarts, his school.'

'Oh, really?' said Avrille sarcastically, 'And I'm the Queen of Sheba, then, am I?' her eyes flashed again, 'Leave me alone, Death Eater.'

Severus started at her words, and wondered furiously how she could have known. He narrowed his eyes and decided to give her a taste of her own medicine, 'You know nothing about me, Avrille!'

His words rang in her ears. Avrille almost fell over at the sound of her name. She positioned her body in the defensive once more, and decided this man was worth investigating.

'How do you know who I am?' she asked, furious that she had been caught off guard.

'Well, as it turns out, Professor Dumbledore and I only found out of your existence two months ago, and discovered your whereabouts a few weeks after. Naturally I was sent to find you as soon as possible, to confirm if the rumours were true.' Severus watched her to gauge her response.

She stared coolly back at him, unimpressed again. 'Well, congratulations.' She said haughtily, ignoring the fogginess that was beginning to overcome her mind,

'Professor Dumbledore must really be the great wizard I have read about. No one has ever found out about any of us, although it is not due to lack of effort on our behalf. What makes you think I will come with you? What do you want with me?' she repeated angrily.

Severus sighed in annoyance. This girl was going to be a bigger handful than he thought.

'Because Hogwarts is where any witch or wizard your age belongs.' He decided to give it to her all at once, 'And it also happens to be where your brother, Harry, lives during the term.'

Avrilles eyes almost fell out of her head, they opened so wide. But only for a split second before they closed into angry slits.

'I have no family.' She said in a low hiss, before she turned and stormed away. This was the final straw for her complaining body, however, and she found herself falling to the ground, succumbing to the unconsciousness that had been threatening to overtake her all afternoon.


	2. A beginning

Disclaimer: obviously I don't take any credit for the characters or cannon (except for Avrille), they all belong to the fabulous JK Rowling

Avrille slowly felt herself return to consciousness, first hearing sounds, then feeling the pain in her body, then becoming aware of the bright light shining in her eyes. She opened them slowly, to see the strange man kneeling over her, looking extremely anxious for someone who was acting so adversely to her moments ago.

'Are you alright?' he said, concerned, 'What happened?'

She realised that he was holding one hand underneath her head, for support, and the other was brushing her long hair from her face. She must have fallen and he must have caught her, she thought. Hating to be in a vulnerable situation, she began to lift herself up. Immediately the dizziness returned, almost overcoming her.

'Stay still!' the man said, staring at her. He paused, before adding, slowly, 'When was the last time you ate?'

His eyes bore into hers, as if he was searching her soul.

She looked away quickly, muttering, 'I'm not sure. Can't really remember.'

She really did not want to think about this particular day.

She looked back at him. 'Let me up, I'm not an invalid!'

'I don't think that's a good idea,' he said. He rummaged in a small brown carry bag that she had not noticed before, and withdrew a water bottle and some dry crackers.

He handed to her carefully adding, 'Maybe while you are…recovering… I might have a chance to explain things a little better.'

She glared at him, yet was touched by his thoughtfulness.

'Fine.' She said, accepting the food and drink gratefully.

He continued to watch her, but withdrew his hand from behind her head, replacing it with his invisibility cloak, which he had obviously summoned from the ground where she had discarded it.

'You have surely heard of Hogwarts and Professor Dumbledore in your…studies?' He looked at her questioningly, unsure if she had received any formal education at all.

Sensing this unspoken insult to her intelligence, she retorted, 'I am self-taught, and yes, I have heard of them, thankyou very much.'

Severus was caught off guard, because he had purposely kept any derogatory tone out his voice in order to keep the peace. He remembered again what Dumbledore had told him about this girl's extraordinary legillimens ability, and decided to use occlumency as a precaution.

Avrille smiled despite her fatigue and annoyance at this stranger. 'Oh, you can't hide from me.' She said mysteriously.

She sighed, deciding against teasing him any further. Her aching body and foggy mind was preventing her from concentrating properly.

Severus decided to ignore this, and continued with his explanation. 'I am Professor Severus Snape, the Potions master at Hogwarts.'

Avrille raised her eyebrows, assessing his mind to make sure he was telling the truth. 'Well, well, how ironic!' she said slowly, a smile quirking at the edges of her mouth. 'Professor Snape, my childhood potions hero! I learnt much from your books.'

He looked at her in surprise, a slight frown on his chiseled features. 'You have heard of me?'

'Of course, I grew up reading your works. Who would have thought that you were a Death Eater all along?' She said with a twisted smile.

He looked away from her angrily, muttering 'You think you know so much.' He stood and walked away from her. _How did she know?_ He thought helplessly.

Avrille lay on the ground, unmoving. She was helpless, out here in the wilderness, starved, exhausted and dizzy. Severus had been quite straight with her, but he had been kind as well, and she should not have been so harsh. She knew there was more to her than met the eye, and she knew he was not evil. He had not attacked her or defended himself from her in any way, and he certainly had the upper hand in the present situation, with Avrille lying on the ground. He had moved out of her line of vision, and she lay there alone for a few minutes, wondering if he was going to come back.

Presently she opened her eyes to the smell of meat cooking on a fire. She looked over to see Severus roasting what looked like a some kind of wild bird on a stick.

He looked over when he saw her stirring. 'Hungry?' he asked loftily.

'Starving,' she replied, before tentatively adding, 'I thought you had gone.'  
He did not look at her, but merely continued tending to the meat. She quickly made her decision.

'Look, to be honest, I've got nowhere else to go, and noone else to turn to, except for you. And seeing as though you haven't tried to kill me yet, I'm going to have to trust that you are trying to help me.'

She took in a deep breath, 'So, I will come with you to Hogwarts if you wish.'

A/N Hi guys, hope you're enjoying the story so far, please review!! Any tips please let me know


	3. Complications

They ate in relative silence, Severus cutting the meat with his knife and serving her small pieces at a time, so she did not make herself sick. She observed him curiously in his stony silence. Why was this man taking care of her? What was his story? He was so full of anger, yet so carefully looking after her. She watched him rise from their spot next to the fire and pace around the perimeter, as he did every few minutes, casting protective spells around them., looking for danger. He was so serious, Avrille noticed, and she wondered what his story was.

She caught him looking at her, several times, with a strange, almost enchanted expression on his face that was hard to read, and vanished in a split second before he looked away.

_Damn_, Severus thought, looking away for the millionth time after she caught him staring. _What's wrong with me? She's a teenager, for heaven's sake. _He focussed on the spells before him, trying to not think about how beautiful his new charge was. And she was beautiful. Her black hair was wavy and fell almost to her waist, and her eyes were green and sparkled in the sun. Snape forced himself to look away.

When Avrille had regained some strength, they left their campsite, destroying any signs of evidence that they had been there. Snape seemed eager to leave, and kept looking around for danger, but Avrille was too exhausted to worry. She leaned against him and he offered his arm for support as they walked through the forest, and she wondered why she felt so safe with him. He explained that they had to reach the outskirts of the forest before they could apparate to Hogsmeade, the village nearest to Hogwarts, because of an enchantment on the forest. Avrille nodded although she already knew this, she had been trying to escape all day by disapparating, but to no avail.

They finally reached the outer rim of the forest. Avrille was heavily exhausted, despite Snape's attempts at feeding her and supporting her. He had made an attempt to heal the open wounds on her back while she was unconscious, but she didn't allow him to touch them again after she woke. He wondered who (or what) had done this to her, and shuddered as an angry beast rose up from inside his chest, roaring in protest to the criminal acts he was imagining. He was surprised by his strong reaction; he had not cared this much for someone in a long time, let alone a young girl he had just met.

They finally apparated and walked up the hill to Hogwarts. Avrille had lost her sassiness and the bite in her tone had all but disappeared with exhaustion and pain as they walked into the entrance hall, the roof dark and starry above them. It was then that Snape realised his problem – he had not discussed the problem of accommodation or a room for Avrille – indeed there was a chance that he might not even be able to find her. He hesitated, looking at Avrille, who swayed and leaned against him for support. She met his eye, longingly asking for rest, and an escape from the pain. Without thinking he made his decision; he had no choice, he had to get her somewhere to sleep as soon as possible. He couldn't very well send her to the Griffindor tower alone. He looked down again and saw that Avrille did not seem to care about anything much at that point in time, so he decided to take a risk and began to lead her down to the dungeon to his chambers.

They arrived at his chambers few minutes later, Snape practically carrying her now. Hesitating only slightly he led her to his bedroom and lay her on the soft mattress, placing the pillow beneath her head and smoothing her magnificent black hair. She reached a hand out to his cheek, mouthing _thankyou _before drifting off into sleep, or unconsciousness, Snape couldn't tell. He sighed in relief, knowing she was safe and comfortable, he looked at the complexity of his situation. This would not look good if anyone found out. He quickly found some blankets and a pillow and shut the doors to his bedroom quietly, making up a bed on the couch in the sitting room. _What a day,_ he thought. He had completed his mission for Dumbledore, that was the most important thing. But what about the girl? How was she going to fit in at Hogwarts when she had grown up in that….orphanage, I suppose he would have to call it. He knew there was more to it than that, Dumbledore had hinted, but he did not ask. How would her brother react at discovering her existence? With these thoughts in his head he drifted slowly to sleep in the dying firelight. Once during the night he imagined her calling out in her sleep, but when he fully awoke she was silent again. _Must have been a dream_, he thought.


	4. New start

Avrille awoke slowly from yet another disturbing dream, and sleepily opened her eyes, expecting to see the familiar room and faces sleeping around her. She looked around groggily, not recognising what she was seeing. She was in a different, dark room, beautifully furnished with a timber dresser and bookshelves, and found herself lying in, or rather, on, a magnificent mahogany bed in the middle of the room. Where was she? She lay still for a moment gathering herself. _Its ok, I can handle this_, she thought.

She heard a soft noise from beyond the door and jumped slightly, sharply taking in a breath. She gathered her tattered clothes around her, slowly remembering the events of the previous day. Sighing, she sank back into the soft covers of the bed and covered her face with her hands.

Severus was pacing the sitting room, in front of the bedroom doors. At the sound of her muffled cry, he exploded through the double doors into the room, causing her to scream out for real this time.

"What? What's happened?" he said in his low baritone, wildly looking around for the reason for her cry.

She sighed in relief upon seeing who it was, but then realisation dawned upon her face. "Nothing, I-I'm fine"

_Am I in his bedroo_m? She thought wildly. _Oh God…_

Severus deflated a little, looking slightly embarrassed, and recollected himself.

"Oh. I … apologise for the intrusion," he added unnecessarily, back out of the room.

She called to him, "Wait! Where are we? Don't leave!"

She cursed herself for acting so vulnerable and damsel-in-distress.

At her question, Snape looked oddly uncomfortable. She raised her eyebrows at him, waiting. He hesitated, before replying, "These are my chambers. This is… my bedroom," he said quietly, looking anywhere and everywhere except at her.

"Oh," she said, nodding slowly. She looked past him and saw the blankets on the couch.

"Thankyou. But I would have been fine on the floor or on the couch." She looked down to see what she was wearing, missing the look of horror on Severus' face at the thought of making her sleep on the couch or on the floor while he slept in the bed.

She shifted slightly on the bed, intending to get up and make herself slightly more presentable. She realised that she was wearing the same clothes as she had had on the day before, and was glad that he hadn't tried to change them. _Of course he wouldn't do that_, a voice in her head said, _he's a gentleman. _His voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"I recommend that you stay where you are until I can monitor the extent of your injuries." Severus called from the sitting room, where he had retreated.

"Oh, no, It's fine, I can do it." She replied, running her hands along a particularly nasty cut on her abdomen. She concentrated, and the wound slowly began to knit itself. Her hands shook, almost like a resting tremor, but she focussed and finished the healing. She looked up to see Severus, mid-step, mouth open, with a healing potion in his hand.

"Oh," she said, uncertainly, looking at his expression. He quickly retained his usual, unreadable, expression, and continued towards her, handing her the potion.

"This will help with the internal injuries." He said stiffly.

She took the potion and drank gratefully. He watched as her hands trembled so much that she almost spilt the potion. She ignored the look, focussing on getting the potion down her throat.

She did not want to risk looking into his mind again, she knew he was a skilled occlumens, though nowhere in her league. Nevertheless she knew he would be on his guard. She watched as he took a closer look at a cut on her forearm, and ran his wand along the wound, muttering a healing spell. The wound healed at once, and she caught a drift of his thoughts…_How did you get these?_

Without thinking_, s_he telepathically replied, _You don't want to know_.

She regretted her rash action immediately, for Severus pulled his hand away from hers as if he had been stung. His eyes searched hers warily.

"You are a telepath?" He said accusingly, eyeing her with an unreadable expression.

"Yes." She said defiantly.

"And a wandless healer," he continued, unconcerned with her tone. He sounded curious and slightly impressed, but was speaking with the air of someone who did not really care. "You are turning out to be a very interesting find, Miss Potter."

Furious at hearing that name, she retorted without thinking. "Do _not_ call me that! I am no Potter, my name is Avrille! _Snivellus_."

Snape's eyes snapped to her, his face turning slightly red. The glass potion vial he was holding shattered in his hand, sending shards of glass onto the bed, as he stood back slowly.

She looked up at him, cursing herself. He looked like he wanted to throttle her. Why did she always lose her temper like this?

His eyes showed nothing but loathing as he looked down at her with a deep sneer on his face.

"Oh, but you are _definitely_ a Potter."

He stormed out of the bedroom, slamming the double doors behind him.

_Oh, God_, she thought, staring after him in shock, _stupid, stupid!! _She didn't know what the name had meant to him, and now she definitely didn't want to know. She had only registered it on his peripheral thoughts last night, mixed with distaste and hurt, and had retaliated without thinking at the sound of her dreaded last name. And now he had left! She was on the verge of panic, her breathing quickened as she worked to calm herself. She had no-one now, she knew, and she had just mortally insulted the one person who was her link to a new life.

She tried to assess the situation. She knew she was a Potter, she had discovered that from Snape at their first meeting, discreetly listening to his thoughts. Not that she knew what that meant. She supposed it had something to do with the famous Harry Potter she had read so much about. _And he was Snape, an ex-death eater, so I guess it makes sense that he would hate Potter_, She thought. _Ex. Ex death eater. Can anyone really be an _ex-_death eater_?

She quickly healed the rest of the worst of the wounds, and looked around her. On a chair near the fire place were some witches robes, a little too large for her, but nonetheless, it was obvious that Severus had prepared them for her. The guilt worsened as Avrille pulled the robes over her head and discarded her ruined clothes. She stared at them for a minute, before tossing them in the fireplace. _Never remember_, she vowed.

She slowly pulled open the double doors, and looked around. Severus' chambers were beautiful; tasteful mahogany furniture filled the large lounge room, and when she looked at the windows, she realised that they filled with water, not sky. _The Great Lake_, she recalled from her reading, _we must be under the lake_. The result was a soft, almost magical light that lit the room with a blue-grey tinge. She continued to stare around in awe; her eyes opened wide as she saw every spare wall covered with bookshelves…there must have been hundreds of books in that lounge room alone.

There was no sign of Severus. There was, however, a steaming plate of hot food – bacon, eggs, toast, pancakes, fruit...Her stomach growled and her tongue watered as she rushed towards it. The knife and fork shook so much in her hands that she slammed them down in frustration. Taking a deep breath, she waved her hands over her cutlery, and the utensils hovered in mid air before making their way to the toast and cutting a small piece. The toast drifted to her mouth, suspended in mid-air on the fork, and she pulled it off with her teeth, chewing and closing her eyes in momentary satisfaction. As she stuffed herself, however, she felt guiltier than ever for what she had said. She knew he had just been trying to help, in his own weird way. She was catching glimpses of the real man behind the cold exterior, and all she was seeing was a lifetime of hurt, bitterness, but also daring bravery and a caring heart. He had taken care of her when she was helpless. She sighed, knowing that she would have to apologise profusely upon his return.

Avrille looked towards another set of doors, which she could only guess led to the rest of the castle, and wondered if he was going to come back.


	5. Apologies

Avrille awoke with a start at the sound of the door slamming, and let out a small yelp as she fell from the couch onto the hard stone floor. Cursing under her breath in French, she looked up to see Severus standing in the doorway, a mildly amused expression momentarily on his face before he regained his usual distained expression. She must have fallen asleep while waiting for him.

He looked coldly at her, and without a word, he swept past her towards the study and began gathering various books and papers together.

She thought back to the events of that morning. After pacing for 15 minutes or so after breakfast, she had deducted that Severus wasn't coming back any time soon, so she set out to explore his chambers. They were very large, comprising a bedroom, bathroom, lounge room, dining room, sitting room and study. Curiously, there were no personal effects or belongings anywhere, except for books and clothes. Everything was so sterile and clean that Avrille likened it to a hospital. _A very well-furnished and comfortable hospital, though_, she thought. She had a shower, and then a bubble bath in the huge triangular tub, soaking the soreness out of her muscles. To her delight she found a fluffy white towel and robe awaiting her in the bathroom, as well as a new toothbrush on the sink, and she relished the feeling of being clean. After sliding into her new witch's robes, she snooped around Snape's study, before deciding against looking in his desk, and then settled herself on the couch in the lounge, greedily reading every book she could get her hands on.

By now it must have been early evening, she thought. She followed Severus into the study, still groggy from sleep, and began her well-rehearsed apology.

"Sev….ah, Professor," She began, but was interrupted.

"I don't want to hear it." He said sharply in his quiet baritone, as he attended to his desk without looking at her.

"Please hear me out, I-"

"I don't want to know. I am busy."

She regarded him for a few seconds, choosing her words carefully.

"I didn't know what it meant. I still don't know. I'm so sorry,"

He grunted in warning and continued to ignore her.

"I caught it on your peripheral thinking last night and knew that you didn't like it. I just lost my temper when you called me Miss Potter. Which is no excuse, I know, because you helped me and took care of me when I needed you. I'm very sorry."

He rounded on her, papers in hand. He did not raise his voice, but Avrille somehow wished he had.

"Miss Potter," he spat, "You will address me as 'Sir' or 'Professor' while you are at this school. You will not waste my time with you ridiculous rambling to ease your conscience and you will not use legillimens on me again, unless you wish to be on the receiving end also. You will wait quietly in the lounge and not disturb me until Professor Dumbledore is ready to see you. Is that clear?"

Avrille looked down at the floor and nodded. She knew she had to play her part. Obviously he was upset by what she had said. _Stupid! Think before you act next time!_

"Yes, Sir," she said quietly.

Severus turned back to his desk and sat down to write on some papers. _What are you doing?_ A voice inside his head started up. _Stop being such an asshole!! She was just reacting how any 14 year old would act. _He was aware of her still standing in his study, her head bowed. He knew he was too proud to accept her apology just like that. Oddly, however, he was no longer angry at her. He felt more…intrigued.

Avrille, knowing herself to be dismissed, returned humbly to the lounge where she had been reading before she fell asleep. She picked up to topmost book, _Advance Defence Manoeuvres for the training Auror, _and continued to read. She had learnt everything she knew from books, and from her older friends, and she was in heaven in Severus' library. Sitting on the couch, Avrille knew Professor Snape could not ignore her forever, so she bided her time, practising different spells under her breath, and listening to him rummaging around in his office. It didn't seem like he was getting any work done, more like he was rearranging his entire desk.

Eventually, Avrille picked up her book and returned cautiously into the study. Snape was shuffling through papers, looking distracted. His head snapped up when she entered the room and he eyed her with a frown on his face.

"Excuse me, Professor," she began.

"Miss Potter, have you forgotten your instructions so soon?" Severus interrupted, looking away and continuing his…paper shuffling.

"Sorry, Professor, but I had a question about one of your books. Is this spell pronounced 'Lluv_i_afu_e_go' or 'Ll_u_viaf_ue_go'?" She placed the book on his desk so he could see.

Severus looked at her, an annoyed expression gracing his features.

"Why are you wasting my time with a spell that only select Aurors can have any hope of mastering?"

Avrille had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. She would earn the respect of Professor Severus Snape.

"Can you please just tell me?"

He eyed her with distain and returned to his paper, muttering that it was the former pronunciation.

She watched him for a few seconds, before thanking him and returning to the lounge. Standing on the fire side opposite the fireplace, she closed her eyes and gathered her thoughts.

She put her hands out in front of her, and whispered, "Lluviafuego."

A ball of fire formed in her right hand, and she aimed it at the fireplace. It zoomed to its target, where it exploded, taking some of the surrounding bricks with it. Avrille maintained a neutral expression.

Snape barrelled into the room and stared open mouthed at the ruined fireplace. _Did she just actually perform the spell? Without a wand? _He thought, bewildered_. Good Lord. _Even Severus himself could not master that spell without a wand.

"Whoops, I didn't know it was so strong," Avrille said casually, carefully repairing the fireplace and putting out the flames with a few non-verbal household spells. "Sorry for disturbing you, Sir."

Snape narrowed his eyes at her, and crossed his arms over his chest. They stood staring at each other for a few seconds. His eyes were a deep black colour, but as Avrille stared into them more deeply, she could see flecks of grey. She felt like she was drowning in those ebony pools.

She fully expected him to yell this time. However, he remained oddly calm, only stating, "The Headmaster will see you now."

He turned on his heel and strode out the doors to his chambers in the dungeons. Avrille followed quickly, not wanting to be left behind. _Now I'm in trouble!_ She thought, as she hurried after Snape's billowing cloak as he barrelled down the dungeon corridor.


	6. Life

Avrille and Severus ascended the spiral staircase to Dumbledore's office in silence. Snape was not looking at her as he knocked on the door. It swung open immediately and they stepped inside. Avrille stared around at the circular office, her mouth slightly open in awe as she took in the countless artefacts and instruments scattered around the room. An old man's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Ah, Severus, thankyou for coming." Dumbledore got up from behind his desk and made his way over to them.

He regarded Avrille curiously, with a slightly sad expression on his face.

"Miss Potter," he greeted her, with a polite bow.

"Please, call me Avrille." She blurted out, eyeing the old man before her. He was tall, dressed in obscure plum coloured robes with a matching wizarding hat. She regarded him cautiously, but there was a sparkle in his eyes and a twitch in his smile which made her feel like she couldn't help but trust him. Well, trust him enough not to invade his mind, which was her first instinct. She felt an aura of sadness and regret surrounding him, as well as a small tinge of relief.

Dumbledore moved back around to his desk and indicated two comfortable looking chairs for Snape and Avrille. Avrille sat, while Snape ignored the chair and continued to stand, off to one side of the desk. Dumbledore continued to look at her, his eyes slightly watery. He could hardly believe his eyes, after thirteen years, here she was. He took in her slight frame, too skinny for her age, and her long, thick wavy black hair. She was startlingly similar to Harry in appearance, but her face showed an age beyond her years, like she had experienced more in her short lifetime than anyone should. Her skin, he could tell, was covered with scars and bruises beneath the too-large witch robes that Severus had borrowed from Professor Sprout that morning. Never before had Dumbledore felt so much guilt and regret.

"My dear Avrille, I am very glad to see you. Although I know my words may seem hollow, I must confess my sincerest and deepest apology for not coming for you sooner."

Avrille nodded slowly, and Dumbledore continued.

"I am Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster of this school you find yourself in. Although Professor Snape tells me you are quite learned in all areas, including my history." He smiled slightly as he remembered their conversation this morning.

"What do you want with me?" Avrille questioned.

Dumbledore sighed. "You have been registered to attend Hogwarts since you were born. However, I have been unable to find you for the past three years to tell you this. Indeed, nobody has known of your existence for thirteen years."

Avrille knew all this. No one would have been able to find her. No one could find anyone who ended up at Blackmouth.

Dumbledore interrupted her thoughts.

"I might as well 'cut to the chase', as they say. As much as I cannot expect you to understand right away, I hope that one day you will forgive me and be able to move on with a new life."

He paused, looking her in the eye. Avrille felt Severus tense slightly.

"Do you know what happened on the night your parents were killed, thirteen years ago?"

Avrille's eyes flashed with anger. Of course she knew.

"My family abandoned me at the Blackmouth Village, and told everyone I was dead. Then they were killed, and no one thought to question my existence." She said defiantly.

Dumbledore shook his head sadly, not taking his eyes off her. Snape was watching them both intently.

"That is what you have been told, I believe. However, it is not the truth." Dumbledore sighed and continued. "Your parents were good people. They lived at Godric's Hollow. Their names were James and Lily Potter. You and Harry, your twin brother, were the pride and joy of their lives."

Avrille snorted quietly in disbelief. She did not miss, however, the tiny shudder of Snape's head as he heard the names of her dead parents. She had heard of these people before, in the newspaper briefly. How could they be her parents?

"Your parents were members of the Order of the Phoenix, a secret organisation with the sole purpose of ridding Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters from the wizarding world. Your parents were betrayed, however, and Voldemort came to their house to kill you and your family. Your parents died trying to protect you and Harry."

Dumbledore and Snape were both looking at her, waiting for her reaction. She stared at him blankly, so Dumbledore ploughed on, explaining the old magic that had come into play when Lily had died to defend her children.

"So, when Voldemort attempted to kill Harry, the spell rebounded onto himself, and he was killed. Your parent's house was destroyed in the process. When members of the order got to the house, they found Harry, safe and alive, but there was no sign of you. We thought you had been killed. We could not be entirely sure, however, because no…evidence was ever found. You had simply…disappeared. We now deduct that Death Eaters, or one Death Eater in particular, Bellatrix Lestrange, kidnapped you that night and sent you to Blackmouth, for reasons we do not know."

Avrille was quiet. Dumbledore looked at her anxiously. Snape held a more reserved expression, but she could see worry in his eyes. This new information swam through her head like a fog, she desperately tried to grasp the concepts but it was like they were slipping through her fingers. _A brother? Parents?_ It had been years since she had thought of the inevitable existence of her family. She had given up long ago, vowing never again to cry for them during the worst of the lonely nights.

Dumbledore continued tentatively, "Harry was placed in the care of your muggle Aunt and Uncle before he came to Hogwarts three years ago."

Avrille tried to process this. _So this Harry Potter had had a normal life. Normal. With a family. And she had had…Blackmouth. A life not worth living_.

Dumbledore and Snape exchanged glances before the former continued.

"There is something else that you need to know. When you were young, before your parents were killed, they discovered that you had amazing magical powers that had never been seen in an infant before. We all knew you would become one of Voldemort's prime targets. Your parents had to make the hard decision to keep you hidden from the magical community. Only a select few people knew of your existence. There were rumours in the wizarding community that Lily and James had two children, but they passed and were almost forgotten after the Harry's survival of Voldemort's killing curse."

Dumbledore sighed deeply, his eyes radiating sadness. "I….I regret Harry was never told of your existence. He has always, and does to this day, believed himself to be an only child. That was my responsibility alone…Against advice from many members of the Order, I thought the pain of knowing he had lost a twin sister as well as his parents would be too much of a burden for a person so young."

Snape, who had said nothing while this exchange was going on, took a small step closer to Avrille and cleared his throat. Dumbledore looked up.

"You're right, Severus, that is enough for one night."

Avrille still said nothing. She nodded, looking from Dumbledore to Snape. Dumbledore brushed his hands together, and started making arrangements with Snape about some guest chambers for Avrille to sleep in until she was sorted into a house. Avrille was not listening. _My life has been a lie_, she thought. What else do I not know? Although she now knew the whole story (she didn't know why she believed what Dumbledore had said, but somehow she did), she couldn't stop the old feeling of bitterness and betrayal at being forgotten and left for dead by everyone who knew her. She had felt this before, but it was more angry feeling, directed towards evil characters in her head she had made for herself as a chid to represent the family that had left her. Now she just felt…alone. The loss of her friends was more painful than ever, and she wondered how she could ever fit in this world now. In her mind, her life spread before her, barren and empty, void of the few people who had been her only friends, her only family…

The Professor's voices snapped her back to reality.

"Avrille," Dumbledore directed to her, "Harry and the rest of the students will not be arriving at Hogwarts until Monday." Avrille knew it was Saturday. "I will leave you in the care of Professor Snape until other arrangement can be sorted out."

Avrille nodded blankly at him.

"Now, if you please, my dear, would you kindly step outside for a few minutes? There are some matters I wish to discuss with Professor Snape." He opened the door for her, and she moved into the landing with the rotating spiral staircase.

She couldn't help but overhead parts of the conversation that was taking place in the office.

"She performed _Lluviafuego _without a wand! In my lounge! That is auror level magic, even with a wand." She could imagine Severus pacing as he voiced his disbelief. "She has extraordinary powers. We cannot keep this quiet."

"Let her find her feet, Severus. It seems you are fond of each other, so maybe having a friend will help with the uphill struggle that lies ahead of her." Dumbledore said quietly.

Avrille looked around helplessly. Her future was in their hands now, that was for sure. The door to Dumbledore's office opened, and Severus exited, nodding at her to follow him. She obeyed, sticking close to him as they walked back through the dark corridors of the strange school that was now her home.

A/NThankyou to everyone who has read my story so far! If you like it please review and let me know, any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!


	7. Home

A/N – Hi all, I'm so sorry for taking so long to update, I'm really busy at the moment studying for the medicine entrance exam. This chapter has been half done for ages, I just wanted to make it perfect. Thanks so much to Caledonian Druid for reviewing, you're awesome!

Snape walked slower than before, occasionally glancing down at Avrille to check she was following. They arrived at the door to his chambers in the dungeons, but instead of entering, he gestured towards a door opposite, and slightly along the hallway.

"Dumbledore has arranged for you to stay in these chambers until you are sorted into a house." Snape told her, his voice calm and steady. He didn't know why this arrangement annoyed him so much. A small voice in his head told him it was nothing, that it would be good to finally have his chambers to himself again.

Avrille's head snapped up, her eyes searching his. _These chambers? _She thought_. Did he mean_….a_lone? Sleeping in a room alone? _She could feel anxiety start to rise in her chest. She couldn't remember the last time she had slept alone. Always, the faces and arms and legs of her friends had been around her as she slept. _No!_ she thought, _Dumbledore said I was in Severus' care! Not alone!_

She breathed deeply and nodded, not wanting to cause a scene and embarrass herself yet again, she looked away and moved to the door, placing her hand on the door handle. _Alone? I can't!_ She though wildly. She desperately tried to calm herself as she felt a panic attack set in.

Severus regarded her anxiously as her breathing become faster and more shallow. _What was wrong with her?_ She looked at the door, then towards him, longing in her eyes. She bought her hands to her chest, as if willing her breathing to slow.

He moved towards her, awkwardly asking, "Er…are you alright?"

"Fine!" she gasped in a high pitched tone. "Just…need…to breathe…" He could see her eyes watering slightly from the effort.

Severus decided to take charge. He had seen panic attacks like this before, most often in students sitting their OWLS and NEWTS.

"Calm down," he instructed soothingly, "Breathe slowly, deeply." He placed his hand on her shoulder and she leaned against him for support as she struggled with her anxiety attack. Her breathing slowly returned to normal. "Slowly," he continued, until she looked up at him and smiled nervously between her breathing. He moved away, but she stood frozen to the floor.

"Are you chambers not to your liking?" He enquired in a cold voice.

"No, they're fine…" She continued to slow her breathing. Could she confess? Surely not. He had been kind enough already, letting her sleep in his bed last night.

"Well, please enter, because I cannot leave you until I know you are inside them for the night."

She was torn. Against her better judgement, she blurted out, "I can't sleep alone…"

Snape's eyes widened with surprise, and Avrille looked at him in horror. _Stupid!!_ She thought. _Keep your irrational phobias to yourself!_.

His eyebrows almost disappeared into his dark hair as he regarded her.

"And…?" he said, wondering what on earth she was talking about.

_Oh God_, she thought, blushing so deeply she was sure that he could feel the heat radiating from her face. In desperation she telepathically flashed him an image of her in his bed, sleeping, from the night before.

"You wish to sleep….in my chambers, again?" He asked. _What was going on with this girl?_

Avrille wanted to sink into the floor and die. She would never live this down.

"N-no, its fine…" she stuttered, starting towards the door again. She froze, with her hand on the door handle, and looked back at him.

"I'm sorry." She breathed deeply. "At Blackmouth, we…" Her eyes became distant and sad, and Severus looked at her with a furrowed brow. Avrille took another breath and continued.

"We were cramped for space, so it was usually three of us to a bed. A single bed. And I…I have nightmares and I'm terrified of the dark…It's just comforting to have someone there." She couldn't believe she was spilling her guts to Professor Snape…_he must think I'm so pathetic_, she thought.

Severus looked at her for a moment, his face expressionless. She turned back towards the door and opened it slightly. She would have to face the darkness. It would be a long night.

"It would be against the school rules. You would not be able to speak of this to a single soul, or I would be fired and you expelled."

Her head spun round; it was her turn to be surprised. Severus was already turning towards the door to his chambers. Hardly believing her luck, she followed him, pausing in the doorway.

"Are…are you sure?" she asked tentatively.

"Do not give me time to change my mind." Severus replied solidly, moving to light a fire in the grate.

She following him in gratefully, sighing in relief.

"Your things are still in the bathroom," Severus called as he walked towards his office.

Avrille stood in the middle of the lounge, and a slow smile spread across her face. She couldn't believe it. She had not been prepared to spend a night alone. But something in the back of her mind her told her that Severus would take care of her, and this was his way of forgiving her for her previous outburst.

She stood in front of the fire, warming her hands, and looking around the lounge. It was almost… cosy, despite being located in the dungeons. She wondered if he spent every night here alone.

Avrille closed her eyes and let her mind wander…it was her favourite pastime, looking in on other people's worlds, seeing what they were up to. It wasn't technically spying, she used to tell herself, it was just the same as watching someone normally, except she as wasn't physically there in person. It was a great way of keeping in contact, especially over long distance. She smiled as she remembered how her friends had both loved and hated this gift she possessed. It eliminated any privacy that they might have wanted, she thought fondly, but there was no doubt that it had saved their butts many times. She sighed as she willed herself not to think about them.

Her mind circled around Severus, who was sitting at his desk writing furiously. She withdrew her aura so that he would not sense her presence, but continued to watch him for a few minutes. She didn't know why she was intrigued by this seemingly cold, dark character who she was sharing chambers with.

Withdrawing her mind back to reality, she went back into the bathroom and couldn't resist showering again in the luxurious tiled shower. Again she found a towel awaiting her, and this time a pair of thin cotton pyjama pants t shirt were laid out. She put them on gratefully, and returned to the small kitchen, where she suddenly realised how tired she way. She made two cups of coffee in the small machine, taking care not to disturb anything. Her hands were shaking again so she whispered a quiet charm as the milk poured itself from the small jug in the fridge. Making the cups hover before her as she padded softly on the thick carpet back to Severus' study, she sat opposite his desk facing him, cross legged on the chair, letting one of the cups of coffee hover in front of his nose as he bent over his work. He ignored it and continued to scribble in small, cramped writing.

Suppressing a grin, Avrille waved her hand and danced the coffee cup around in front of his face, sipping her own at the same time. _At least that caught his attention_, she thought, smiling. He paused and looked up, an irritated look on his face, and glared at her. She gestured to the coffee cup, saying playfully, "I think it wants you to take it,"

He took the cup by the handle and placed it firmly on his desk, before returning to his writing.

"Oh, come on!" Avrille crooned, faking disappointment.

Severus stopped again, watching her, a slight frown on his face. She took another sip of her coffee, and his eyebrows shot up. He hadn't noticed before, but her own cup was hovering in mid air also, and she did not touch it with her hands as she drank, but somehow was charming the cup so it tipped at the exact angle that was needed to drink. Severus saw her hand tilt slightly in time to the cup tilting, and stared in wonder at this wandless charm.

Distracted, he took a sip of his coffee. Black, no sugar, just how he like it. _How did she know_? He was starting to think there was no point in wandering how this strange girl sitting in front of him knew so much. What was he going to do with a girl in his chambers? All night? He returned her gaze, uncertain of what to say.


	8. Something different

Avrille sat opposite Severus, cross legged on the chair opposite his desk, watching him drink his coffee. She normally would have left him alone to work, but she had been starved of human contact for so long that she was desperate to talk to somebody. Even if that somebody did not seem to want her in the same room, let alone talk to her.

"So, is this how you always spend Saturday nights, Professor?"

He glanced at her, curled up in the chair across from his desk, her coffee hovering in mid air close by. He couldn't help but notice the scars on her arms, visible below the sleeves of the t-shirt style pyjamas. Some were deep and long, some shallow, but all were engraved into her flesh like ugly graffiti. He thought he even made out a mutilated letter on her right forearm, but he had to drag his eyes away before she noticed him looking. _I should have given her long sleeve pyjamas_, he made a mental note for next time. He wondered if the rest of her body had been abused like that.

"I am very busy." He replied curtly, returning to his notes. _What am I doing? Be nice, for God's sake. _ Severus thought to himself. He wasn't actually getting anything done at his desk, not with her there. He had barely managed to organise his notes, let alone get started on lesson planning. She was too beautiful, too intriguing, too much like her brother…All he wanted to do was stare at her and listen to her talk, and ask her questions about her past. _A conversation?_ That skill had left him years ago, Severus thought bitterly.

"Oh," she replied, her voice serious and slightly mocking. She brushed her unruly long hair out of her face. "Too busy to feed me dinner?" she teased, a wicked smile on her face.

Severus jerked his head up, looking at her in shock. _Good grief_, he thought, looking at the clock, _she must be starving_! In all the confusing events of the evening he had completely forgotten about food. It was 9:30 already! He stood up so fast that his chair toppled backward onto the floor.

Avrille laughed gently, but not unkindly, her face relaxing for the first time in days.

"Relax, I'm just kidding. I'm not really that hungry." She assured him, gesturing for him to sit back down. "Seriously! I was just trying to get a reaction. I'm dying for conversation."

He paused for a moment, before replying, "I am quite hungry actually, now that you mention it."

Ignoring her protests he strode to a small device in the corner of his office that Avrille thought bore a slight resemblance to a muggle speaker, or intercom. He muttered something into it and Avrille heard a slight POP from the far side of the lounge. Her head swivelled around and she saw that several plates of food had appeared on the dining table across the room. Leaping up from her chair in the study, she rushed eagerly to the table to view the feast. Severus followed, pulling out a chair at the table for her. She thanked him and sat down, her eyes wide like dinner plates as she looked at the spread. She had never seen so much food in her life! She had forgotten that a place like Hogwarts would have house elves. She was also relieved at how much her body had healed itself during her long sleep, she could move freely once again and was not in a great deal of pain.

Severus sat opposite her at the large dining table, and reached to serve himself some potatoes and chicken. Avrille followed him lead, pausing when she had filled her plate.

"Um, Professor," she started uncertainly. He paused also, and looked at her expectantly, fork halfway to his mouth.

"Ah… Do you mind if I say Grace before we eat? I mean, it's ok to say no, I just … I like to say Grace."

She watched for his reaction, which, surprisingly, was a small nod, as he put down his cutlery, unsure of what do to.

"Um, ok. Don't feel like you have to do anything." She began, slightly nervously.

Avrille bowed her head and closed her eyes, saying a short prayer of thanks for the food and protection of the castle. Severus looked at her in amazement. Did she actually believe in praying? _This girl is getting more complicated every second_! She could feel a strong aura of peace emanating from her as she spoke quietly. He was intrigued. He had neer met a telepath before. Or anyone with these sort of powers.

When she finished, she looked up at him, all smiles.

"Thankyou, Professor! Sorry to keep you from your dinner," She winked and began piling food on her fork. Severus stared a little longer, realising that again, she wasn't physically touching her knife and fork, but they were floating less than an inch from her hand as they cut her food. He watched her guide her fork to her mouth with the levitation charm, a perfectly practised action that could have passed for normal cutlery use, if he had not been looking carefully. Not wanting to stare, Severus began eating his own dinner, but could not help glancing back at the extraordinarily unusual habit his new charge was displaying. Then he glanced at her hands, and his confusion was slightly resolved. He saw, as her left hand moved next to her fork to her mouth, a tremor that he had not noticed before, quite a dramatic tremor in both her hands that of course would make it awkward to hold cutlery…_or a cup of coffee, for that matter_, Severus thought curiously. Another wandless charm, he gathered. Now _he_ was dying for conversation, if only to find out her secrets…

Throughout dinner Avrille kept up a steady stream of conversation, about everything and anything, leaving Severus goggling at her in amazement (and occasionally adding a grunt in agreement) at how one person could talk so freely with him. _Or really, _to_ him_, he thought, cursing his lack of things to say. She mentioned his books, listing her favourite chapters, as well as her thoughts on what the school would be like, would she be able to fit into the classes, would the grounds look like she had imagined them, and what would the wizarding world think of her sudden reappearance? She giggled to herself, and Severus observed how at ease she seemed, compared to earlier this morning and last night when she had been so defensive. He even managed to sneak in some short sentences here and there, such as "Really?" and "I thought so, too," and "Mmmm". But mostly Avrille just rambled on, seemingly glad that someone was listening to her. She was actually very entertaining, Severus thought - he found himself struggling to maintain his well practised stone-like features in a straight face as she speculated on the look on Rita Skeeter's face when she heard that the_ long-lost sister, _as she had dubbed herself, had arrived at Hogwarts. He started as she clutched her side in pain, groaning as a particularly hard laugh jerked her newly healed ribs. Still smiling, however, she rubbed it carefully, letting her healing powers soothe and stabilise the recently broken bone. She suddenly yawned, stretching her free arm behind her.

"I'm exhausted…I'm sure you'll be glad to get some peace and quiet when I get to bed!"

Dissappointed, because he had secretly been enjoying listening to her, it dawned on Severus that he had not thought of sleeping arrangements. He supposed he would sleep on the couch again, as uncomfortable as that had been.

Seemingly reading his mind, she spoke up at once.

"No way, I'm sleeping on the couch tonight! You can have your bed back." She smiled at him.

"Absolutely not." He said sternly, regaining some of his former, pre-Avrille, self. He had to retain some of his self respect and reputation, this girl was melting him! "You will sleep in the master bedroom. You need to rest, you are still unwell. I will sleep elsewhere."

Avrille stared at him. _He couldn't be serious!_ Raising her eyebrow, she walked to the couch, lay down, and covered herself with the blanket that had been folded neatly and placed on the arm.

"Well, then, I guess the bed will be empty tonight!" She smiled crookedly as his face turned red at her deliberate disobedience.

He stood staring at her, brow furrowed, not knowing what on earth to do. He had never had to deal with this …whatever this was….before.

He knelt down in front of the couch so that his eyes were level with hers.

"I will be sleeping on this couch. Go to bed."

"No!" she proclaimed, a twitch of a smile in the corners of his mouth. "I am sleeping on this couch. _You_ go to bed!"

Severus blinked. He continued slowly. "These are my chambers and you shall do as I say. Now get off that couch right now!"

"Nope," Avrille giggled slightly, despite her efforts to remain serious.

"Go – "

"No, sir,"

" – to that bedroom – "

"Nope"

" – right now – "

"Nope-erooni" Avrille giggled.

" – or I shall – "

"No can do,"

" – have to – "

"Nada. Zipperoo." She was struggling to get the words out, she was laughing so hard.

" – Stop – "

"_Het. Nao_"

" – Would you – "

"_N__e peut pas faire_,"

Avrille was in hysterics. Severus wanted to yell, but something about her softened him, and as he watched the tears of laughter stream down her cheeks, he could feel the corners of his own mouth turn up into a small, unwilling smile.

Calming herself, Avrille tried to speak.

"I'm sorry! Ahhh, that was awesome!" She laughed some more, happily catching the small turn of his mouth that could pass as a smile, before adding coyly. "I'm still not letting you sleep on the couch."

Severus stared at her in disbelief. _This girl is crazy_! He tried to compose himself. He tried to think rationally, but all sorts of ideas were popping up in his head.

He found himself saying, "_I_ won't let _you_ sleep on the couch." He paused. "_You_ won't let _me_ sleep on the couch. How do you suggest we resolve this?"

Avrille smiled and sighed. "I guess we'll both have to sleep in the bed."

At this, Severus somehow managed to choke on his next breath of air. Avrille watched in amazement as he spluttered away, his face reddening.

"Absolutely….not!" He panted, trying to stop the constriction in his throat. What was she thinking! It was rule-breaking enough that he was letting her spend another night in his chambers. But to share the bed?

A small but powerful feeling seemed to be rising up at the thought of having her sleeping next to him, like a cat purring in his chest. He would be able to sleep easily, knowing that she was safely beside him. _Not like last night_, he thought, remembering the constant worrying and pacing.

Avrille watched him, her eyebrow raised. _What was so bad about sharing a bed_? She thought. _We're only sleeping_. It had been a few years ago when she had realized that people in the 'real' world actually slept in single beds, alone, unless you were romantically involved. Alex had told her that beds were for private matters and intimacy for adults. She had barely understood this concept, even at ten years old. Every night of her life she had slept crammed into one of several single beds with at least two friends. It was a comfort thing, a safety thing. She had to remind herself that people outside of Blackmouth did not need to feel comfort and safety in the way that they had.

Severus noticed that same distant, sad look in her eyes when she had mentioned sleeping alone, earlier in the evening. There was so much about her that he did not understand. If he wanted to understand her, he guessed that he would have to do things her way.

Against all of his morals and beliefs about right and wrong, he nodded at her briefly, before disappearing into the bathroom for a shower.

Avrille stared in slight disbelief that he had given in so easily, but then, too tired to examine his reaction more deeply, she removed herself from the couch and wandered into the bedroom. She pulled back the sheets, which were different from the night before (_House elves again? _She thought) and climbed wearily between the covers, savouring the softness of the pillow beneath her head. She watched the small slit of light shining out from under the bathroom door, listening to the water from the shower. _He would be coming back, to lie next to her_, she thought. She would not be alone tonight.

8

Severus stepped out of the shower, wondering what he had gotten himself into with this girl. Dressing in his usual thin cotton pyjama pants, he had second thoughts and pulled on shirt as well, not wanted to give Avrille the wrong idea by turning up in bed half naked. He opened the door to his bedroom, and saw that she was already asleep, the moonlight reflecting off her dark hair and her perfect face. She smiled slightly as she slept, and again, Severus thought he had never seen anything more beautiful.

He shook his head, hesitating before climbing into the other side of the bed. He was tempted to move to the couch, but somehow he knew that she would know. _She would just _know_, like she seems to know everything_, he thought, in wonder. He was dying to test the full extent of his powers, he knew his curiosity would get the better of him sooner or later. But right now he had to concentrate on sleeping. Sleeping, while a beautiful girl shared his bed. Yeah right. _A young girl, half my age_, he reminded himself sternly.

He turned the other way, resisting the urge to smooth her ebony hair out of her face. Wandering if he would wake up from this surreal dream, he drifted into a peaceful sleep.

Later that night, Avrille jerked awake suddenly, her well-practised suppression of a scream serving her well as she tried to block the nightmare from her mind, panting heavily. It was pitch dark in the room, and Avrille felt tears of fear well up in her eyes. _Where was she?_ Then she heard a faint…snoring sound, coming from the other side of the bed, and her memories came flooding back. _Severus actually came to bed with her_! She thought in disbelief. Sighing with relief, she moved as close as she could to him, without actually touching him, for warmth and that feeling of safety he seemed to supply, even in sleep. She lit a small candle on the far side of the room. She did not like the dark.

She watched Severus as he slept. He had long eyelashes, and his fine hair fell in wisps across his face as he breathed slowly, in a deep sleep. The light from the candle reflected off the perfectly chiselled features of his face. _He is extraordinary looking, _Avrille noticed. _Not the traditional type of handsome, but one that comes from wisdom and a true heart_, she thought. _He looks so much like_…._ no, it can't be_, she thought sadly, knowing that it was her grief talking now. _Nothing can bring her back_. _Nothing can bring any one of them back_, she thought, a tear falling from her cheek onto the pillow as she prayed for a dreamless sleep.

A/N – Hi all, sorry I have no way of replying to reviews atm, I'm not sure that this site allows that function. But don't worry, all about Avrille's past will be releaved…eventually! I know exactly how its going to end (heehee!) but that wont be for awhile, the story timeline is planned from fourth year to seventh. I've had this story (secretly) planned for years! Thanks so much to all my readers, any advice/comments would be greatly appreciated! Thanks also to Caledonian Druid again for reviewing 


	9. Suprises

Severus slowly awoke in the semi-darkness. _It must be early_, he thought irritably. He was annoyed – it was Sunday, and he liked to sleep in. Groggily, he struggled to recognise the sound that had awoken him. He was lying on his back, as usual, but a slow, rhythmic, annoyingly relaxing sound was buzzing in his right ear.

Severus' eyes suddenly flew open as he froze, starting straight up in shock, not believing it to be true. His eyes slowly moved from the ceiling down to his chest. Avrille's head was resting on his shoulder, her soft breathing sounding in his ear. Her right arm was thrown over his chest, as was her right leg over his, such that her face was pressed into his neck and her torso was practically on top of his.

He stared at her in shock. She was…cuddling him. _In her sleep! _His eyes flickered from side to side as he wondered wildly what on earth he was supposed to do with a girl asleep half-on top of him. He almost laughed at the comedy of the situation, but then humour gave way to panic as he desperately tried to wake up and think properly. He raised his left arm, as if to move her away, but then dropped it in exasperation, not wanting her to wake up and find herself like this. He looked down at her, her dark hair spread across his shoulder before cascading down her back, her slender (_too slender, _he thought) arm across his chest. _How could this have happened? _When he had fallen asleep she had been on the other side of the bed, facing away from him. He looked to the clock, ticking quietly on the opposite wall – it read 6:07am. Breathing deeply, he knew he had to get up.

Tentatively, he moved his left leg to the side of the bed, and used it as leverage to slide his lower torso over. He grimaced as her skinny knee slid past a particularly sensitive area, one where no fourteen year old girl's knee should be sliding. Now, with both feet dangling over the side of the bed, he slowly slid his right arm out from under her head and shoulder.

She moved jerkily and mumbled inaudibly, and he froze, terrified, holding his breath. However, her breathing relaxed again and she stopped moving almost straight away, so he continued with pulling out his arm.

Finally, he stood next to the bed, free of her touch. He watched her for a second, sighing with relief, as she became slightly restless, rolling herself into a ball, apparently to get more comfortable.

He had started to walk towards the bathroom when she mumbled the words, "Alex…. your turn…for Sophie…"

Severus continued to the bathroom. _Who were Alex and Sophie?_ Now that he came to think of it, they were the first names he had heard her mention. He assumed they were people from Blackmouth. He made a mental note to ask her about them. One day.

Avrille awoke with a jerk; a fading nightmare had made her breathing laborious. She got her bearings, and didn't freak out like the previous morning. _Snape's room. Snape's bed_.

She sat up and stretched, admiring the complex patterns of light shining through gaps in the curtains on the bed coverings. Frowning, she looked around – no sign of Severus. Even more confusing was her position in the bed – she was sure she had fallen asleep on the opposite side of the bed last night. But here she was, on the far side of the bed, where Severus had been sleeping only a few hours ago. _Oh my God, I hope I only moved here after he left…_ she thought, mortified. _Of course I did_, she thought, _it must have been the warmth on this side after he left_. _It attracted me_. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, unconvinced. She wandered into the lounge, and peeked into the study. _Where is he_? She thought. It was 10:30am, according to the clock in the study.

She showered and freshened up, wondering if she was supposed to wear the same robes as yesterday. As she stepped into the bedroom, clad in her fluffy white bathrobe, she noticed two things simultaneously that she had not noticed before – one, a note on her pillow (well, the pillow that was originally hers before she had manoeuvred to Severus') and two, an unopened, unmarked package sitting on the dresser. Momentarily torn between them, she headed for the note. It was in Severus' cramped handwriting, and had looked like it had been scribbled in the dark. It read, simply:

_Back before lunch,_

_don't wander._

_See package._

_S._

Avrille smiled. _A man of many words_, she thought. She turned to package, which had her name on it, though not in Severus' handwriting. She tore it open, and gasped in delight as she pulled out a muggle skirt, knee length, black and flowing, as well as a fuscia coloured singlet top and a thin grey cotton cardigan, suitable for the warm August (_September?_ she couldn't remember) weather. Even thought they were plain, she fingered them lovingly, having never such clothes in her life. She tore off her white robe and quickly put on the ensemble. The clothes were slightly large for her, (_Which is probably a good thing_, she thought, fingering her protruding collar bone) and as she spun around the skirt lifted slightly, making her feel like a ballerina. Avrille giggled like a little girl. She flounced through the chambers, looking for a full length mirror to admire her outfit, but found none. Only slightly disappointed, she settled for the small bathroom mirror instead.

Avrille stared at her appearance. She had avoided a mirror thus far, not wanting to be reminded of the paleness of her face or the rings under her eyes. At least she was looking slightly healthier now that she was eating proper food. Her hair was shiny and wavy, falling loosely down her back, and her eyes were brighter than they had been in a long time.

She turned away from the mirror, the thought of food making her stomach growl. She hesitated at the speaker in the study that Severus had spoken into the night before. What should she say?

"Um…" she bit her lip. "Could I please have… some toast?"

There was a small POP, and two pieces of toast immediately appeared on a plate at the dining table. A second later there was another POP, and three mini-bowls also appeared, one filled with butter, the next with strawberry jam, and the third filled with what looked like honey.

Avrille's eyes widened in disbelief. "Thankyou very much!" she exclaimed into the speaker, feeling slightly foolish as she did so. _Who am I actually speaking to_?

After her breakfast and brushing her teeth, Avrille stared around the room, wishing Severus would hurry up and come back so she could find out what was going to happen to her. Would she meet her brother today? When did classes start? Would she be sorted into a house? As she worried, her eyes fell on a door she had not noticed before, nestled between two bookshelves in the corner near the study. It was stained exactly the same colour as the wooden shelves next to it, and looked slightly skinnier than a normal door, as if it were an add-on, or an afterthought to the design of the chambers.

Curious, she went to open it, only to be confronted by a magical ward preventing her from entering. It was not a strong ward, making her think again that it was an afterthought. She could feel the strong aura of Severus' unique imprint in the magic. Losing her eyes and focussing, she untangled the spells on the door in her mind, letting her hands unweave the magic and break the ward.

After breaking through, she sunk back against, the wall, her energy drained. She had forgotten how much it took out of her to be without her wand. After resting, she finally opened the door.

She entered the small passageway beyond the door, only to be confronted by another two doors. This time she knew there were no wards on the doors. A flickering thought crossed her mind, wondering if she should be prying into an obviously private part of Severus' chambers, but her curiously quashed that thought almost as quickly as it had surfaced.

She chose the right hand door, opening it slowly. The room beyond was dark, so she whispered a quick illumination charm in French as she stepping inside.

Her feelings as she saw the content of the room were indescribable – she moaned softly in longing as her eyes caressed the soft curves and sharp angles of the grand piano that was in the centre of the room, its black cover shining in the magical light. The drum kit at the back of the room called to her as she drifted into the room as if in a dream. The acoustic, electric and base guitars lined up together against the wall, next to the violin, cello and brass section – the trumpet and trombone's polished horns gleamed brightly, reflecting her face back at her. The woodwinds completed the orchestral suite, as she eyed the flute and clarinet near the drums.

_Oh my Lord! I'm in heaven…_she thought as she shook her head clear. She had never seen so many beautifully kept instruments in the same room! Her mind flickered back for a second to her old, tattered but loved instruments from Blackmouth, but she suppressed the images and headed over to the _Piano_ _Grande, _lifting the cover and caressing the ivory keys with her long fingers.

Snape barrelled down the corridor to the dungeons, his arms full with bags containing his purchases of the morning. He paused outside the door to his chambers, or rather, the brick wall that disguised the door. Rummaging in his robes to find his wand, and muttered the charm to undo the wards on the door, and awkwardly squeezed through. Closing the door quietly behind him, in case Avrille was still sleeping, he almost dropped everything at the sound that he heard.

If he had believed in such things, he would have sworn it was an angel. The beautiful voice echoed through his chambers like a violin, and the sweet harmonies of the piano made Severus stop dead in his tracks, frozen lest a single movement wake him from this dream.

"_Through many danger, toils and snares_

_I have already come;_

'_Tis grace has brought me safe thus far, _

_And grace shall lead me home…"_

Severus faintly recognised the song, as he slowly edged towards the hidden door to his music room. He stood at the doorway, mouth slightly open, taking in the sight of her - sitting at the piano, playing with her eyes closed.

"_When we've been there ten thousand years,  
_

_Bright shining as the sun,  
_

_We've no less days to sing God's praise  
_

_Than when we've first begun."_

She played the rest of the song, slowly and sweetly, before sighing gently and opening her eyes. The sight of Severus gaping at her from the doorway was a complete shock; she had not heard him come in, and she shrieked and pretty much fell backwards off her stool.

Jumping up, embarrassed, she stood facing him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were here. I just kind of… stumbled in here and I couldn't resist."

He stared at her, not knowing what to say. He wanted to tell her that her voice was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard. But somehow he didn't think that was appropriate.

"Had you waited for my return, I would have undone the wards myself. I see you have exhausted yourself yet again." He kicked himself as he heard the disdain in his own voice.

"I'm sorry. I didn't damage anything, I only touched the piano." She said breathlessly, anxiously waiting his reaction.

He turned and re-entered the main chambers, depositing his packages on the coffee table. She followed, red-faced. _Stupid_! She thought,_ he must think I'm _trying_ annoy him or something._

"You have beautiful instruments," she told him, "I have never seen such a collection."

He began unpacking his packages onto the coffee table. She waited for a reply, but upon receiving none, she ploughed on.

"Do you play all those instruments?"

Ignoring her, he rummaged through the bags on the table.

"Sir?" At this he looked up at her.

"You will find all the school supplies that you need in here. There is also a catalogue of clothing that needs to be returned by owl once you have chosen your selection."

"What…you bought me school supplies? And clothes?"

"I did not buy you clothes, as I said, you must return to catalogue by owl to Madame Malkin's, in Diagon Alley."

Avrille stared at him, opened mouthed, all thoughts of instruments gone from her head. She stuttered, "But I…I don't have any money!"

Severus turned to face her, studying her carefully.

"The school provides for students who cannot afford supplies. It has been taken care of." He replied softly, his eyes not leaving hers. He turned back to the packages, Avrille goggling at him. He continued.

"I have had the…pleasure of retrieving something that I believe belongs to you."

He held out a long, thin box towards her, and her breath caught in throat as she hardly dared to hope that it contained what she thought it did.

Opening the plain, wooden box, she gasped and drew her free hand to her mouth, her face full of emotion as her eyes fell upon her wand sitting in the box before her, as if she had never lost it at all. Rosewood, 10 inches, dragon heartstring, she fingered it lovingly as she looked back at Severus. She could only shake her head, she was speechless, her mouth opening and closing slowly.

Severus watched as a tear formed in the corner of her eye, and quickly looked away, unsure of what to say.

"But…where?" Avrille said breathlessly in a shaky voice, as she held her wand, checking it for damage.

"I returned to the ruins of Blackmouth in the forest to gather other evidence for the Headmaster, and as an afterthought cast a spell to search for any other magical objects, especially those with your magical imprint on them. This was the only thing that was returned to me."

Avrille was still staring at her wand in wonder.

"They took it from me…I thought Id lost it…" She suddenly stepped forwards, bridging the gap between them, and took Severus in a gratuitous hug. His eyes opened, not knowing what to do.

He patted her on the back gently, and she pulled away after a short time, tears in her eyes.

"Thankyou," she whispered.

They looked at each other for a second before turning away, Avrille to wipe her tears and Severus to gather his thoughts. He heard her giving her wand a quick flick, making sparks emit from the end, to check it if was working.

Avrille suddenly had another thought,

"Oh, Professor, thankyou for the clothes in the package you left this morning! I love them!" She twirled around to emphasise her point, her skirl swirling. He raised an eyebrow, again slightly amused by her antics. "But Sir, I can't accept so many gifts from you, or the school. Please don't buy anything else!" She smiled at him.

"I told you, it has been taken care of."

"Well, thankyou, Professor."

He nodded at her. "I have orders to take you on a quick your of the castle this afternoon, before you meet your brother tonight after the feast." He turned to continue unpacking the rest of her books, quills and potions supplies, missing her reaction.

She stared at him. _My brother? Tonight?_ Her face paled as she played out possible scenes in her head, in her panic missing the grimace Severus gave when his lips formed the word 'brother'.

A/N – Hi all, thanks for reading this far! Sorry it's taking me awhile to update, after my exam on Saturday hopefully it will be more often. Thankyou so much to my reviewers – Caledonian Druid, ClayPotter and KeLpIeenoch – your encouragements are very much appreciated!

I'm also looking for advice on the _feeling_ you're getting from my story – are you feeling that there's too much description? Not enough? The story moving too fast/too slow? Too much/ not enough dialogue? Are my characters consistent? Lol lots of questions I know, but please, if you feel any of these things while reading and it is taking away from the story, please let me know. If not then I guess that's great! This is my first fanfic so any advice is great!

Disclaimer: obviously the song lyrics I've included are taken from the song _Amazing Grace_, by John Newton, from Olney Hymns.


	10. A strange meeting

A/N – Hi everyone, sorry I've been so long in updating

Severus returned wearily to his chamber, having dropped Avrille outside the Headmaster's office. Dumbledore had told him not to wait, and that he would see Avrille safely to her chambers, but Severus still lingered at the top of the staircase as she shut the door, for reasons he was not quite sure of. She had been unusually quiet on the walk up, sticking so close to his side that she had bumped into him several times. He could tell that she did not want him to leave when they had arrived at Dumbledore's office. He was sure, however, that the reunion of the long-lost Potter twins would be a sickening, sentimental event in which he wanted no part, and so with this determinant he resolved to quash all feelings and not wait up for Avrille. He had procrastinated at his desk, attempting to complete his final class schedules but achieving nothing, before pacing in front of the fire and finally, thinking himself ridiculous, going to bed. Wondering what was subconsciously stopping him from taking a dreamless sleep potion, Severus lay in bed, the empty space next to him seeming to stretching endlessly.

Avrille trembled slightly as she stood in the doorway of Dumbledore's office, still dressed in her new clothes. She smoothed her hair slightly, suddenly becoming incredibly nervous at the impending introduction to her new brother. _Well, _she thought_, he's not really _new_, I guess he's been there all along_. All traces of anger had left her, surprisingly, to be replaced by anxiety and a touch of regret. She had not liked Severus telling her that he was leaving. Somehow he was her protection, her comfort, something familiar in this new and daunting world that was now her life. As he left, a new feeling of vulnerability overcame her, and she had to fight the urge to turn around and run back to him.

_Pull yourself together!_ She scolded, resolving to be strong.

She stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. She saw Dumbledore standing beside his desk. Her eyes shot to the tall, skinny boy standing beside him, and she blinked as she did a double-take. The similarity between the twins was striking. She stared into the same eyes, and same shaped face, the same features, his mouth open slightly, gaping at her.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, and introduced them to each other. He didn't say much, but watched the both of them intently.

Time seemed to stand still as she stared at him. Her brother. Her flesh and blood. _Family_. The words pounded in her ears as she took an almost involuntary step towards him.

Harry bought his hand to his mouth, briefly, before running both hands through his hair, an incredulous look on his face as he shook his head.

"Avrille…" he said her name, and crossed the room towards her in a few steps, pausing directly in front of her.

Avrille got a distinct aura of anger, which was rapidly fading, and she guessed that he had been having an argument with Dumbledore before she arrived. _Most likely for keeping my existence a secret his entire life. _She thought. _He probably only just found out about me_. Her mind was jumbled as he searched her eyes with his, looking for something…. forgiveness? She reached to touch the scar on his forehead, her heart aching with strange emotions. There was deep magic in that scar, she could sense it.

Suddenly, Harry reached to her and attempted to hug her.

Taken aback, Avrille felt panic began to rise, as she empathically sent_ I'm not ready for this! _his way_. _She jerked back and he pulled away, even thought she knew he had not consciously heard her.

Immediately Harry's tongue seemed to come back to him.

"I…I'm sorry." He looked wildly at her, his hands still stretched out towards her, as if desperate for her to give a response.

"I-I had no idea. I just found out. About you, I mean." He stuttered nervously, and began to wring his hands, not taking his eyes off hers.

"If I had known…." He drifted off, the _what if?_ filling the space between them.

She looked at him, not sure of what she wanted to say. Or if she wanted to say anything at all. Part of her wanted to slap him in the face, tell him that she didn't care, he wasn't her family. But another part of her longed to know this boy standing in front of her, who looked so much like her. She noticed the way his hair stuck up at odd angles, rather like hers had done when it was shorter. How he was skinny like her, and his mouth had the same nervous twitch in the corner.

She dragged her eyes away from him and looked at Albus, who seemed lost in thought, gazing at her. Her attention seemed to snap him back to reality as he approached them gravely.

"Again, I must offer my sincerest apologies for delaying this meeting, although that was not my intention." His blue eyes seemed to pierce Avrille. "I wanted you two to meet before classes start tomorrow."

At his words, Harry's eyes were torn away from her and shot towards Dumbledore.

"Classes? She's joining our classes?"

Dumbledore nodded.

"I think that would be the best way to become adjusted. If it is agreeable to Avrille, she shall join the fourth-year Gryffindors in their classes, if you would care to assist her, Harry"

Harry cracked a small grin and nodded, his head swivelling back towards Avrille.

Dumbledore also turned to Avrille and continued. "I announced your arrival at the Feast tonight. Unfortunately you must prepare yourself for some…well, some _talk_. There are some who have heard the old rumours."

Avrille wondered how long she could go on without saying a single word. _They must think I'm deaf and dumb_, she thought. But try as she might, she couldn't think of a single thing to say. She wanted to go back to Severus. He was much less complicated.

Again she nodded.

"I am sure there will be nothing you cannot handle. Severus told me you have had your wand returned to you?"

She managed a small smile, and nodded, feeling her wand safe in her pocket.

"Well, I shall see you two tomorrow morning in the Great Hall for breakfast. It is late." Dumbledore said, smiling, and nodded to Harry.

"Harry, I know you will not mind accompanying your sister to her chambers in the dungeons. I'm not sure she has had sufficient time to acquaint herself with the castle as yet." The old man's eyes twinkled from behind his half moon glasses.

Harry nodded, and Avrille struggled to say something.

After what seemed like an age, she managed,

"Goodnight." And smiled slightly at Dumbledore, who gave a small bow.

Harry tried to cover up his surprise at hearing her voice by opening the door to the office. The two of the stepped out of the office and Harry closed the door behind them.

She subconsciously pulled her clothes tighter around her, hugging herself with her arms. Harry was still staring at her. She sensed that he wanted to come closer. She sighed in resignation, knowing that she could not go back to her old life. If she wanted to make something of her new life, she would have to start now.

She held out her hand to him, business-like.

"Hi, I'm Avrille."

Harry looked like he was going to pass out. He quickly gathered himself, and tentatively shook her hand.

"Hi, I'm Harry."

Avrille continued. "Isn't it weird, meeting your own twin," she mused.

"Tell me about it," He sighed with relief that they were finally talking. The stress of the evening seemed to fall from his shoulders as she smiled at him.

They began to walk, side by side, in silence. She could sense his mind racing nervously, but she could also sense that there was so much about him that was familiar to her, as if from a dream. A small feeling of happiness was beginning to well up inside her.

"It feels like I've been in a fairytale, these last few days." She told him.

He nodded, not sure of what to say. They continued to the dungeons, and paused outside her door.

"My friends cant wait to meet you," Harry blurted, for lack of anything else to say.

Avrille smiled, coming closer towards him, and slowly wrapped her arms around him in a hug. Harry let out a breath as he reciprocated, feeling the warmth that had been fourteen years coming.

Letting herself into Severus' room after Harry had disappeared from sight, Avrille leant against the wall, sighing with relief. Maybe everything wasn't going to be too bad, after all.

She looked around for Severus, finally spying him snoozing in the darkened bedroom. She quickly changed into her pyjamas and furtively inched her way into bed beside him.

She watched him as he lay on his back, breathing softly. Her presence seemed to make him uneasy, his head moving from side to side until he opened his eyes with a small grunt.

"Hi," she whispered as she smiled, settling her head down beside his.

"Mmm," he mumbled. "You're…back late…" His head was hazy with sleepiness, but a burst of relief echoed from somewhere inside him at the sight of her.

"I'm sorry," she said with a slight giggle. "I've just met my brother."

"Mmmm…" was his only response, as he drifted back into a light sleep.

She watched him for a moment longer, smiling. She knew he had been thinking about her. _He cares about me_, she thought, knowingly.

She leant towards him, and whispered in his ear.

"Goodnight…"

She snuggled in as close to him as she could get without actually touching him, and fell asleep with a smile on her face, dreaming of the days to come.

A/N – hi everyone, I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update! I know its been almost a month, how ridiculous! I've been sick (with glandular fever) and am having a hard time staying awake long enough to finish a chapter. Also, thankyou to everyone to reviewed my last chapter with advice and comments, it was very much appreciated.


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